78th Street Bridge Removed
By Ashley Welch
The Department of Transportation dismantled and hauled away the pedestrian bridge at East 78th Street over the weekend as the agency moves ahead with its plan to replace the passageway that connects the FDR Drive to the East Side esplanade.
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Aid Needed for 2nd Ave. Business, But How?
By Dan Rivoli
Second Avenue Subway small businesses have been seeking help for years as the massive construction project has cut deeply into their profit margins and left many struggling to stay open.
The only two concrete proposals that have been offered—legislation to create a state grant fund and a property tax abatement—failed in Albany. Read more
WORK AROUND THE CLOCK
By Dan Rivoli
Get out the earplugs: Construction crews started working around the clock this week on the Second Avenue subway route.
At 7 a.m., Sept. 20, crews started work that will last 24 hours until Sept. 27 to complete necessary gas main connections on East 87th Street.
This work will require East 87th Street between First and Second avenues to close down intermittently from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The block will be completely closed between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., Monday through Wednesday. Read more
Subway Construction Updates
By Alice Robb
Sam Schwartz Engineering recently released a schedule for Second Avenue Subway construction slated to take place through August 9.
The controlled blasting of East 72nd and 69th streets has been completed. Between East 69th and 70th streets, workers will cast a concrete liner and place it in the existing shaft. Read more
Slow Start for Tunnel Boring Machine
By Dan Rivoli
The tunnel boring machine that was supposed to dig through 50 feet of bedrock a day to make room for the new subway has had a rocky start. Read more
MTA Pays At Least $5,000 For Displaced Second Avenue Residents
Renters who have been temporarily evicted from their homes while construction takes place along the Second Avenue Subway line are receiving at least $5,000 a month from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to re-locate, the New York Times reports.
Upper East Side Rat Hunt
Investigating claims of a rodent invasion
Who would have guessed that a story about rats and the Second Avenue subway would be part of the Wall Street Journal’s metro section launch?
Andrew Grossman’s April 26 article, “Rats Mob The Upper East Side,” reported that “an army of rats” had invaded “a stretch of the Upper East Side.” The primary area of interest apparently is a one-block section of East 93rd Street, between First and Second avenues. Read more
MTA Prepares To Take Properties Via Eminent Domain
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is moving to take private property, both temporarily and permanently, to continue construction on the first phase of the Second Avenue subway.
Notices were sent March 26 to various properties’ owners and residents along Second Avenue from the East 60s to the East 80s, and around Lexington Avenue and East 63rd Street, where the T line will connect with the F train. Read more
FAIRWAY UNLOADS SUBWAY CONSTRUCTION CONCERNS
Fairway may be eying a new Upper East Side location, but the gourmet food market is already concerned about Second Avenue Subway construction.
Fairway is considering opening an outpost at 240 E. 86th St., between Second and Third avenues, an area that will soon see heavy subway construction that would block truck loading and unloading zones.
As crews take over Second Avenue, more businesses will be using the 220-foot East 86th Street truck zone. Paid commercial trucks can park in the zone Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Read more
Construction Site Burglary
A construction site at 51 E. 91st St. and Madison Avenue was burglarized April 14. Police said a 59-year-old employee locked up the site at 6:45 p.m. During the night, a burglar entered through an unknown entrance and stole a laptop, digital camera and a cordless drill.
